POSTED BY Fahida Begum

With over 4.5 billion active internet users today, the power of digital marketing can’t be overlooked. While internet usage has been steadily rising in recent times, unsurprisingly Covid-19 has accelerated the move towards greater usage and reliance on technology. And if recruitment firms want to ensure that they get their message heard and rise above the noise, it’s crucial that they have a strategic marketing plan which is fit for the new virtual world. Here’s how recruitment firms can step up their digital marketing strategy.

The recruitment industry has thankfully come a long way since the days of being proudly run with a ‘boys’ club’ attitude, however there is still so much left to do in terms of achieving equality. While there certainly has been a shift in mentality, with women more welcome than ever before, just like several other industries, there is still a stark gender pay gap and lack of representation at board level. This International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting the need for gender balance in recruitment.

By now, I’m sure you’re aware of how important creating content is for your business. If you don’t, here’s a quick post from us explaining why your firm needs to have a blog.

This month, the BlueSky PR team headed to the Recruitment Agency Expo 2020 in Olympia London, the UK’s number one event for recruitment leaders. Both days were packed with insightful talks back-to-back on all things ranging from IR35 to leadership skills. Here’s a quick run-down of what happened on the day.

I was lucky enough to attend one of the most iconic and highest profile events in recruitment last week, TALiNT’s World Leaders in Recruitment conference. All of the hottest topics in the industry and upcoming challenges and trends were discussed and debated by some of the most influential people in the sector, including our own Head of Practice, Vickie Collinge. There were a number of interesting discussions, which provided much food for thought on key recruitment trends for 2020. Here are the key takeaways from the event.

Have you tried googling yourself before? That’s one of the first things I got told to do in my journalism class, and it’s stayed useful throughout my career. It’s also something that I recommend every business do too. With most people researching products and services online before buying, you want to ensure that your digital brand stands out from the crowd and leaves a memorable impression. Utilising the web is one of the best ways to secure candidates and clients. So, here’s how recruitment firms can build their reputation online and take their business to the next level.

With 45% of the total world population using social networks, businesses now have a fantastic and cost-effective way of reaching potential customers and interacting with existing ones worldwide. However, to reap all the benefits that come with using social platforms, you must always be thinking about how to get more engagement on your social media. Even if you have many followers, you want to aim for lots of interaction as this will help you appear higher in people’s feeds. A channel without much engagement can be perceived as dull and doesn’t generate all the business benefits of a thriving, active page. That’s why it’s crucial to understand how each platform you’re using works and how it’s best to target users. Here’s how to get more people liking, sharing and commenting.

In the business world, and particularly in recruitment, people are considered a company’s greatest asset – and rightly so. Not only do your staff get the actual work done, they also hold the key to your very best marketing strategy – employee advocacy.

The dialogue around robots coming for our jobs has been around for some time now. And as technology continues to advance, many professions have realised that this is the scary truth. However, despite the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting that 1.5 million people in England are at high risk of losing their jobs to automation - I’m confident to say that PR professionals won’t be replaced by robots.

Why write about what you know when you want people to know what you do? A good PR company can help raise your business’ profile so you get seen by your target stakeholders. We can do this in a number of ways, such as securing thought leadership articles in sector press, enhancing your company’s blog to attract new audiences and writing press releases which will be distributed to all the key journalists in your industry on behalf of your business. However, too often, companies approach PR thinking their agency will write press releases explicitly about what their organisation does and who they are, but the fact of the matter is journalists don’t care about these things. While this may sound harsh, it is the truth. What they do care about though is what you know and, in particular, the things you know that they don’t. So, here’s what you should be writing about in a press release.

Awards - it's great to be a winner! But... because we all love to win, scam artists have cottoned on and now bombard you with opportunities to show the world that you are the number one ...as decided by... hmmm... who exactly? Recruiters, beware of fake awards.

Just like businesses in other sectors, recruitment firms should survey their clients to gauge sentiment and identify anything that needs to be addressed – whether that’s a potential new opportunity or a possible threat. When you buy something online from eBay or Amazon, use an online help desk or even when you get your car serviced, you will, more likely than not, be sent a questionnaire asking you to rate your experience.